martedì 13 novembre 2012

The Language Exchange is an amazing activity you can practice your speaking skills with both your classmates and native American people.

In the first meeting we played HUMAN BINGO

Students wrote the names of the people who were in class, then the questions they wanted to ask. Later they started their interviews. When they had all their charts filled in we talked about each student. Everyone said something about the others, of course the information was given both in Italian (by the Americans) and in English (by the Italians).

Our next meeting will be on December 1st. If you want to take part you have to enrol at LARISSA'S LANGUAGES (STUDIO DI CONSULENZA LINGUISTICA).
I remind my students on Saturday 17th there will be the MOVIE AFTERNOON, please confirm your presence ;-)

martedì 6 novembre 2012

Ieri c'è stato il primo incontro delle FREE ACTIVITIES per i nostri studenti e le nostre studentesse dei gruppi PLAY ENGLISH e PRE-TEENS!Yesterday there was the first meeting of FREE ACTIVITIES for our students from PLAY ENGLISH and PRE-TEENS groups.
Giocare a Pictionary è divertente, puoi ripetere il lessico studiato e imparare nuove parole.Playing Pictionary is funny, you can review vocabulary and learn new words.
Ringrazio tutti coloro che sono stati presenti ieri.I thank everyone who came yesterday.If you are an English teacher contact me for further information about the rules!

domenica 4 novembre 2012

Remember remember the fifth of NovemberGunpowder, treason and plot.I see no reason why gunpowder, treasonShould ever be forgot...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMOIxD-GzJA&feature=fvwrel

What is Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes' Day?

The year was 1605 and some English Catholics were angry because the King of England, James the first, was treating them badly. In November 1605 a group of men made a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament (the government buildings) in London. An enormous explosion was planned for November 5th. This was the day that the King was due to open parliament. The plan is known as the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ and the leader of the group was called Guy Fawkes. The men put 36 barrels of gunpowder (a type of explosive) in the Houses of Parliament and they waited for the King to arrive. The group decided that Guy Fawkes should light the gunpowder and cause the explosion. Did they succeed? No, they didn’t. The police found the gunpowder before it exploded and they caught all the men involved in the plot. The men were tortured and killed. To celebrate his survival, King James ordered the people of England to have a bonfire on the night of November 5th.

What do they do today to celebrate this day?

On November 5th people remember the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament by celebrating ‘Bonfire Night’. All over Britain there are firework displays and bonfires with models of Guy Fawkes, which are burned on the fire. The Guy is made of old clothes and the clothes are filled with newspaper. The Guy is a reminder of Guy Fawkes. The fireworks are a reminder of the gunpowder that Guy Fawkes hid in the cellar of Parliament. Some people have a small bonfire in their garden on November 5th. In main towns and cities there are big bonfires and firework displays.

A tradition...

Penny for the GuyIn Britain only adults can buy fireworks but in the past they were sold to children too. During the days before Bonfire Night, children used to take their home-made Guys onto the streets and ask for ‘a penny for the Guy’ to collect money to buy fireworks. Now you have to be over 18 to buy fireworks, and safety on Bonfire Night is an important issue.

from www.britishcouncil.org

It is funny to see how the economic crisis is displayed in this comics published on the Guardian website.

Moreover, the biggest bonfire is in Kent.Every year, the Edenbridge Bonfire Society chooses a different celebrity "villain"
to take the place of Guy Fawkes, and this year it was the turn of Armstrong,
who was recently stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping
offences.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/weirdnewsvideo/9654214/Bonfire-Night-Lance-Armstrong-effigy-burns-at-Edenbridge-fireworks-display.html

Halloween is celebrated on October the 31st every year. It
originated from a pagan holiday and the Christian holiday of All
Saints’ Day. The name Halloween is a shortened version of All
Hallows’ Eve. Today, it is more of a fun day for children and has
largely lost its religious roots. Halloween is probably most famous in
the U.S.A. Irish immigrants took it to America in the mid-1600s and
it slowly spread across the country. Halloween is not celebrated in
many countries around the world although many people know about
it. Some Christians are not so happy that people celebrate
Halloween. They believe the holiday is un-Christian because of its
origin as a pagan "festival of the dead."
Halloween has many easily identifiable symbols. The colours orange
and black are widely used. In particular, orange pumpkins and fires
and black witches, cats and costumes are common features of this
day. One of the biggest Halloween activities is trick-or-treating. This
is when children knock on doors and ask for a small gift. If they
don’t get anything, they’ll play a trick on the person who opens the
door. Food also plays a big part of Halloween. Toffee apples are
very popular and so is anything made from pumpkin. Halloween is
also a popular topic for Hollywood. Many horror movies have been
made about it. Because of this, Halloween is now known in many
countries that never actually celebrate it.

Answer the following questions:
1) What is the origin of the word Halloween?
2) Who brought Halloween tradition to the USA?
3) What is trick-or-treating?
4) What is the most popular food at Halloween?
5) Is Halloween celebrated in your country? How?

1) What was All Saints originally called?
2) What is the custom of playing pranks at Halloween called?
3) Who were the first people to celebrate Halloween?
4) Who introduced the holiday to the USA?
5) When is All Saints day celebrated?